Carrickfergus Castle

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About this place

Carrickfergus Castle (from the Irish Carraig Ḟergus or "cairn of Fergus", the name "Fergus" meaning "strong man") is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. Besieged in turn by the Scottish, rebel Irish, English, and French, the castle played an important military role until 1928 and remains one of the best preserved medieval structures in Northern Ireland. It was strategically useful, with three-quarters of the castle perimeter surrounded by water (although in modern times only a third of it is surrounded by water due to land reclamation). Today it is maintained by the Department for Communities as a historic monument in state care.

Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Updated 2026-11-14 Suggest an edit / Report issue

Getting There & Parking

Carrickfergus Castle is located in County Antrim, roughly 19 km (15 min drive) from Belfast and 198 km (2h 55m) from Dublin. The nearest public car park is 145 m away (Free). Nearby highlights within a short drive include Lauryn James (0.2 km away).

Belfast19 km

~15 min drive

Dublin198 km

~2h 55m drive

Nearest car park Free

145 m from landmark

Directions to car park ↗